Cultivating healthy eating habits as a truck driver is very important, yet difficult. You know your job requires you to take meals as they come. These meals may be in the form of processed food, fast food, and other unhealthy meals. However, the dangers of unhealthy eating include obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. Excess weight can also lead to sleep apnea and fatigue, both of which can be disastrous to your trucking career. However, with a healthy diet plan, you can stay on top of your game. Here are 5 healthy eating tips for truck drivers to help you eat healthy on the road.
1. Eat less, but more frequently
Just before we delve into what kind of food to shop for or cook, let’s discuss something else that’s equally important – eating habits. Our society has embedded the idea that three square meals a day are ideal. However, this is not necessarily the best choice for truck drivers. Eating three times a day might be more efficient in terms of consuming more calories, but this is not a good eating plan for truckers. To ensure you eat healthily, you should aim to eat five small meals every day. This type of eating plan will help you metabolize food better. Generally, it is recommended that you take in 2000-2500 calories daily. However, consult a professional to better understand what an appropriate calorie intake means for your health.
2. Skip the Drive-Thru, Bring Your Own Food
Cooking for yourself and brinning it on the road will help you avoid temptation. When you're doing the cooking you can control the portion size, calories, etc. Try some simple meal-planning recipies so you can make a week's worth of meals ahead of time. When you're ready to hit the road store the food in a mini cooler or insulated lunch pack to keep it cool.
3. Are You Drinking Enough Water?
It's not just about what you're eating, what you're drinking is just as important. Calories from sugary drinks like soda or coffee really add up quickly. Instread, stick with water or natural fruit juice. In order to avoid dehyration most health experts recommend drinking about 8 glasses of water a day.
4. Focus on Portion Control
Anyone who has been involved with healthy eating habits is familiar with the term portion control. Controlling what, how much, how often you eat and making reasonable and sustainable food choices is the way to solve many of the health risks associated with the eating lifestyle of truck drivers. You don’t have to quit eating all your favorite foods. Going extreme is not sustainable. Eat a balanced diet while you are on the road for better health. While you are cutting off fast food and other unhealthy foods from your diet, you can include a healthy source of protein and fat to your daily food intake. This includes peanut butter, lean meat, nuts, boiled eggs, beans, etc. Eating healthy can be difficult for truck drivers who are on the road for weeks at a time. Most trucks aren’t equipped with a kitchen or proper food storage. Even if these facilities are available, it is also difficult to find time to prepare a good meal while on the road. However, the foundation of a healthy lifestyle is healthy eating. We all want to live a long, rich life and enjoy quality time with our families and loved ones. The best way to achieve this as a truck driver is to eat healthy meals and develop good eating habits.